The Importance of Rescue Pet Fosters
Our ability to pull animals from shelters is largely determined by how many rescue pet fosters are available to care for them. Since North Carolina has the third highest euthanasia rate in the country, we work to save as many as we can from overcrowded and underfunded shelters. We need rescue pet fosters to be able to do that, and after a huge kitten and puppy season with NC Triangle shelters already overflowing, we need fosters now more than ever!
In terms of animal rescue, fosters really are our bridge – from homeless animals to socialized, healthy and adoptable pets. We value and support our fosters for providing temporary homes for these animals in need as we work to find their perfect forever homes. We provide rescue pet fosters with all of the necessary food, medication, and vet care. We also understand that – especially during the summer – our fosters need time for vacation or simply just a break, and so growing our foster network means being able to tag-team fostering to ensure both our rescue animals and our fosters are well-supported.
Maybe you’ve considered fostering, but aren’t sure if it’s right for you? Read below one of our new foster’s experiences, highlighting the numerous benefits for animal and human alike!
Fostering: Paying the Love Forward
“Teddy goes to his forever home tomorrow morning. His new family is a great match for him — experienced cat owners, a big house with stairs for him to run on and low windows where he can watch the birds. There’s no doubt in my mind as to how happy and loved he will be.
He was a pretty perfect first foster. And a LOT of people thought I was going to keep him! But it’s actually not THAT hard to let him go. We’ve been good friends to each other for the time that we had — he got to adjust to living indoors with one consistent human to love him, and I got to learn “how cats work” from a snuggly and easygoing first companion — but he was never “mine”. He’s just been visiting.
I’d never had a cat before, and I learned a lot from Teddy. Now I know roughly how much they eat, how to manage a litter box, what their natural behavior patterns are, even how to give eye drops and medication and sub-Q fluids. I also know how hilarious they are, and how sweet it can be to have something soft and purring greet you at the door and snuggle up with you in the evenings.
But I am also just selfish enough to remember a time B.C. (“Before Cat”)… when I did not need earplugs at 4:00 AM, when I was not constantly stepping on tracked litter, when my clothes were not covered in hair, when I could get my work done without a creature walking on the keyboard. And I’ll thoroughly enjoy having THAT life back for a little while, too.
Which is why fostering is great — because everybody wins. I’m getting multiple animals into their forever homes, I get to experience lots of different personalities, all the costs are covered, there’s SO much support from Beautiful Together – the only thing I need to provide is love. And I also get regular chunks of time WITHOUT the responsibility of pet ownership. If you’ve been considering becoming a foster — so far, I highly recommend it.”
Short term fosters needed!
If you’ve considered fostering, but haven’t yet applied, the summer is a very helpful time to start! To allow our current fosters time to vacation, we are always looking for short term fosters who may have a rescue animal in their care for as short as a weekend. Playing with cute cats and puppies for a weekend? Hard to beat that!
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